Ejercicio Text B - Task 1 · Inglés PAU Murcia Ordinaria 2021

TEXT B

Vinted

You hate that shirt. You can't remember the last time you wore it. But, because it's in good condition, it's going to keep on hanging in your cupboard all the same.

You're not alone: this is a problem Lithuanian entrepreneur Milda Mitkute once shared. “I always had too much stuff in my closet, but felt like I had nothing to wear,” she tells Forbes. “Some tops still had tags 1 because I'd buy anything on sale, I'd spend 80% of my salary on clothing in one week because I wanted to look different every day.” Mitkute realized she couldn't keep shopping this way when she moved from her large family home into small student accommodation —there simply wasn't space to store her piles of unworn clothes.

So, in 2008, she started Vinted. It's now the largest pre-loved fashion marketplace in the world. Today 4 million women are actively buying, selling, and swapping 2 clothes on Vinted each month. “It's a platform that opens all the closets in the world,” says Mitkute. Its fans —or "Vinties," as they're affectionately known— simply upload photos of items which can be bought and collected or shipped. You can search by seller, brand, size, or color to find exactly what you want —whether that's a red cocktail dress or leopard print shoes. “Our members say using Vinted is like a treasure hunt,” notes Mitkute. If you think this sounds a little like eBay, you'd be right. Except Vinted's fashion focus gives it more of a community edge, says Mitkute, and it's this “social” vibe that keeps customers coming back.

Today Vinted operates in nine countries (including the U.S., the U.K., Spain, the Czech Republic, Austria, Poland and Lithuania), with its biggest markets in Germany and France. In its earlier years Vinted raised a total of €55 million, but the company changed strategy in 2016 to become profitable. The platform shifted 3 away from mandatory sales fees into a free product with the option of additional paid services (like the promotion of your closet). The fact that Vinted is now totally free to use and doesn't take a cut of any items you sell sets it even further apart from the eBays of the world.

1 Tag: A small piece of paper, cloth, or metal with information on it, tied or stuck onto something larger.

2 Swap: To give something and be given something in return.

3 Shift: Change.

1. Read the text and choose the best option (A, B, or C) for items 1.1 to 1.4. [Score: 4 x 0.5 = 2 marks]

1.

Milda Mitkute started Vinted because …

2.

Vinted …

3.

Vinties is …

4.

Vinted became more profitable …